Arriving at Bianza

Raven's eyes fluttered open. Her body wasn't in pain anymore, it was as if all had been a terrible nightmare, but she knew it was real, she had long lost hope this would be a dream. As she woke up, she sat up and sighed. 

"Oh my" She heard Emi's voice from behind her "How cute you are when you wake up!" 

Raven felt the creeps crawling all over her body after hearing her voice, she didn't understand her captor at all, she didn't want a ransom for her, she didn't want to kill her, she didn't even want to torture her, yes the training was painful, but it was that... a twisted and more sadistic version of training. 

"Shut up!" Raven screamed "I hate hearing your voice as the first thing of the day!" 

Emi chuckled, clearly amused "Oh, poor kitty," she purred mockingly "And here I thought you'd be grateful. After all, I'm giving you the finest training experience you'll ever get"

Raven clenched her fists, She couldn't shake the feeling of resentment and frustration bubbling inside her. She'd been thrown into this relentless nightmare, her pride battered along with her body, yet some part of her refused to let Emi see just how deeply she'd gotten under her skin. But strangely, she was also starting to get used to the presence of her captor. 

"Grateful?" Raven hissed, her voice trembling with fury "You're insane. None of this makes any sense! What could you possibly get out of this?"

"Why do you even care about what do I get?" Raven flinched as she heard her walking towards her without any care in the world, Emi patted her head "Just enjoy the experience!" Then she clapped her hands "Okaaaaaay~ Time to feed the pet~" She said as if she was singing and a bowl with something appeared in her hands "What's the special of today chef?" She asked but none responded. 

The smell of something disgusting reached Raven's nose. 

"What's that!?" She said panicking. 

"Huuuuh... okay! We are not having breakfast today!" Emi laughed as she tossed the thing to the said.

The smell was pungent and terrible, as if something rotten and squishy had been inside that thing, if she had been herself from some time ago she would have pucked just for the impression, in moments like this she was grateful she had no sense of sight or else she would have wanted to check what was the source of the odor. She heard Darkstar, the horse of Emi neigh angrily as the odor reached near him. 

"Let's go!" Emi Said grabbing Raven by her clothes and placing her in front of her on top of the horse "Today we are not stopping until we reach our destination!" 

Raven wasn't going to struggle, on the first day of this crazy trip she had tried to resist but she got a good dose of pain because of that, also she noticed the horse had a horn or something on its forehead, and it hated being touched there. As the creature began to move she could feel the wind resisting against them, just telling how fast they were moving.

"Hey, you gonna love the demon king country!" Emi said behind her.

"Don't talk to me" Said Raven pridefully, she didn't want anything to do with her. 

"Don't be like that, it's full of critters like you" 

Then she went on and on, an endless rambling that made Raven felt dizzy. Emi's voice droned on, filling the air with half-formed thoughts, strange comments, and occasional laughter, as if this journey were some joyous adventure rather than a nightmare ride toward an unknown destination. Raven, trapped in darkness and pressed into the discomfort of Darkstar's back, gritted her teeth, tuning out her captor's rambling as best as she could. She knew better than to ask questions... questions always seemed to amuse Emi far too much. 

"What's the matter, kitten?" Emi's voice cut through her thoughts, dripping with mock sympathy "Having second thoughts? Maybe a little homesick?"

"Ha" Raven muttered under her breath "As if you care"

Emi laughed, a high, musical sound that sent a shiver down Raven's spine "Oh, you'd be surprised what I care about, little kitty. I'm going to make something of you... whether you like it or not. Maybe even teach you what real strength looks like"

Raven clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. She didn't want Emi's twisted version of strength. She wanted to escape, to rip off the blindfold and see the sunlight again. She wanted to see Fuwa's smiling face again. But as Darkstar galloped on, the landscape around them shifting into rough, mountainous terrain, she couldn't shake a lingering sense of dread. What exactly was Emi planning for her?

After what felt like endless hours of riding, they came to a stop. Raven was half-sleep. But two roaring voices made the creature they were on to stop.

"Halt! Who dares to come to our land!" 

"We have an urgent message for the lord of these lands" Said Emi from behind Raven "Come on, be a darling and let me pass, yes?" 

Raven was coming to her senses, she heard the sound of a chain behind her, as if Emi was showing them something, which produced some gasps. 

"Let them pass!" Said one of the voices, and Raven could hear a heavy door being moved, they were getting inside a place where she probably wouldn't be able to return on her own, and her hopes to just escape faded as she heard the gates close behind her. As sounds of a town came to her ears, familiar sounds of hammering, working, people chatting, armors moving from people patrolling... they had come into some kind of city. 

"Welcome to Bianza" Said Emi to Raven's ear "A city that acts as a frontier between the two warring factions" Then she whispered "You have already accomplished a very important part of this job" Her voice was full of happiness.

"Whaa..?" Raven tried to ask.

"Hush dear and enjoy the ride" Said Emi "You will eventually understand" 

Raven could hear many people talking between them, she could feel their gazes on them, no, on her. Even with the blindfold that blinded her, she knew something was off, it was a strange sensation. She wasn't feeling hostility, but she didn't like this, and instinctively she pushed herself against her captor, who chuckled. 

"Don't get all timid on me!" She said laughing as she guided the bicorn across the streets "Well well, we will arrive at our destination shortly"

After some minutes where they moved across some busy streets and finally stopped somewhere. The place must be a good place in the city, because of the smell, it didn't smell bad, also it didn't seem as busy as when they entered the city. 

"Wait here kitten" Said her captor getting down the mount. 

As Raven heard her moving away, she had a sudden urge to use the bicorn to move and ran away, but it would be no use, the creature didn't listen to her, and also she would still be trapped in this place and blind. She sighed and waited for what seemed like endless minutes. Until Emi came back accompanied by other people. 

"Here" Said Emi. 

Raven heard the quiet shuffle of footsteps around her, and the faint rustling of robes mixed with the clinking of armor. Whoever Emi had brought with her, they were watching Raven in eerie silence. She could sense their eyes on her, as if appraising her like some sort of prized animal on display. The realization made her skin crawl.

"Is this really her?" a voice asked, low and gruff.

"Yes" Emi replied in that lilting, smug tone she always used, her amusement evident "Our little guest of honor"

"There is no doubt my lord" Said a guy in a hushed tone "She meets all the specifications... black hair, the shape of her ears..."

"Then tonight both of you will spend the night at the fortress while we inform about this... finding..." A big hand helped Raven get down from the bicorn.

"Very generous!" Said Emi "Come my kitten, you must be tired after such a long ride"

As they moved inside the building, Raven could not help but feel she had arrived to some sort of prision.